Sweet friends, I have had the pleasure to get to know this gem of a woman over the past few years . . . Lynn Cowell is passionate about raising up our girls to be emotionally healthy and secure in who they are in His eyes. Her new book, Magnetic, is a must for all teen/preteen girls (Moms, there is also a leadership guide included that will assist you in working through this book with your daughter). Please welcome Lynn and be sure to comment for a chance to win your own copy of this great book!
I waited so long to have this time with my girls; our weekend away was finally here! So excited for this special road trip with them and their friends, one girl called out, “Selfie!”
Snap! I made sure I got my smile onto the tiny screen just in time. With a giggle, my girl lovingly laughed from the back seat. “Mom, you always find a way to get in there!”
The selfie . . . that famous snapshot taken by over one million people a day. That spontaneous picture taken to capture…
To capture what?
Sometimes, like the road trip shot, it’s to capture a special moment and the people we love. Other times, I wonder if it’s more than that.
My daughter’s tease gets me thinking. Do I always find a way to get in on what is going on? If I do, why?
Do I turn these selfie moments into an opportunity to make the moment about me? Shift attention toward me?
I wondered about myself: Shouldn’t I be way past this? To the point where I want to make each moment about others and not about me?
I think sometimes the young girl we once were, the one who wanted to be noticed, who looked for the boy’s attention, or needed the parent’s approval is not completely gone. Maybe there is a side of me still wanting acceptance and acceptance is seen through attention.
This thought makes me uncomfortable. I don’t want to be that woman. I want to be the woman who reflects love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – the true beauty listed in Galatians 5:22-23. A beauty that isn’t about me, but about serving and loving others first.
I not only want that kind of true beauty for me; I want it for my daughters as well.
And to get there, I’m going to have to die first.
Die to me.
Die to the me who is all about me.
When I die to me, another woman can be born. A woman whose beauty is found in the love she gives, the joy she lives and the peace when she forgives. The woman who makes life and love about others. That woman is truly beautiful.
Romans 6:6 encourages me. Because of the work Jesus did on the cross, I can become this beautiful woman: “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”
Christ died so I don’t have to struggle with the sin of my self-centeredness; the pull to make life about me. Christ’s new life in me means I no longer have to be a slave to needing attention. I can confidently put the spotlight on others and be genuinely happy.
And here is the twist: The woman who possesses this type of beauty, who chooses others above herself is hard to find, but easy to spot. Though she doesn’t seek attention, attention comes to her. Through becoming the woman God wants, she has become magnetic.
Packed with honesty, encouragement and perspective-changing truth Mag
In celebration of the release of Magnetic: Becoming the Girl He Wants, we’re giving away TWO copies!!! To be entered to win, leave a comment letting us know why you would like to read Lynn’s latest book. I’ll announce the winner on Thursday morning!
Lynn Cowell is a Proverbs 31 speaker and the author of several books including her newest Magnetic: Becoming the Girl He Wants. Her passion in speaking and writing is empowering wise women to raise wiser daughters. Her husband and their three children live in North Carolina where they love to hike, raft and enjoy anything combining chocolate and peanut butter.
We homeschool, and our favorite part of the day is when the girls and I curl up on the couch together to read the Bible together, do a devotional together, and discuss theological concepts that come up. This book would be perfect for me to use with my daughters. A three-way win!
Anni – thank you so much for investing in your girls! Magnetic has a leadership guide built in the back so it’s really easy to create discussion on the fruit of the Spirit with our girls!
I would like to have this read with my daughter.
Natalie, thank you so much for sharing Magnetic today. I so want our girls to make the switch, now, while they’re young. Switch from fixating on a guy to focusing on The Guy, Jesus. This is when they can reach their fullest potential! I appreciate you!
Being a mother of 3 daughters…these words ring true!
To be the woman God intended us to truly be.
Thank you,
Heidi
I have two step daughters and would love to learn more about instilling these good qualities in them. Their mother is not a believer so I do what I can to show them some “light” without stepping on toes.
I would LOVE to read Lynn’s new book “Magnetic”. As a single girl there are definitely times where you ask yourself What’s wrong with me, Why doesn’t he like me, Am I not good enough, and so on. I think that even as a young single girl some of us still struggle with this issue. That’s why I think it would be a good resource for anyone who struggles with these questions.
I have a two daughters and the world they are growing up in is scarier than ever, more tolerant for the intolerable, and accepts things that aren’t acceptable. What I pray for them in their lives and what they see around them is very different. I need this book for extra guidance and the extra insight.
My daughter didn’t get to attend the special weekend last weekend so i would love for her to have the opportunity to read this. I pray every day for to be guided to always make Christian decisions
You are enough for God! That is what I have been saying to my 13 year old daughter the past 2 months. She has been bullied by another girl at school and it has lowered her self-esteem (the counselor got involved but she is still carrying the yucky stuff in her head). She feels she isn’t good enough in any area of her life. We have been praying together and I always tell her before she leaves the house…”You are good enough for God and that is all that really matters.” Thank you for writing this book. I can’t wait to read it with my daughter.
I’d love to share Lynn’s book with my 16 year old. We could both use some encouragement. Thank you for sharing the words of wisdom God has given you to bless and encourage others.
Allison, you were the winner! Comment number 9 was generated and that’s YOU! I’ll email you here in a minute…Congratulations!
I would love to share this with both my daughters, 14 yr old and 10 yr old. I so want them to stay strong in their faith and walk with Jesus. I know that the devil will try and throw them a curve ball here and there. I want to make sure they have enough wisdom and strength from God to decifer the difference of right and wrong.
Magnetic sounds awesome! Just the kind of lessons that I need to focus on with my 12 and 9 year old daughters. Thank you for introducing us to this book and wonderful insights!
I would love to win a copy of this book! Lynn is very insightful and wise and I would share this book with my younger sister. Thank you! :)
Id love this book because I have 3 daughters, the oldest who is 15 and caught in the whole popularity world. She has so much anxiety about fitting in and doing it all “right” Christ. As a recovering alcoholic I know how Satan can entrap us in so very many lies about our selves and our self worth and I would love a way to connect with her to talk as she grows up. Thanks!!
Melynda, you won!!! I just used the generator and number 15 was drawn! I’ll email you here in a minute. Yay!